Embrace the hate?
Keep Austin weird?
Sometimes, things just get weird on their own and something that seems offensive on the outside actually was done out of love. That, of course, does not always translate well, and people not in on the joke might not see the words being used as playful.
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My son, for example, worked at a Wendy's while he was in high school. He was the only white kid who worked there who lasted and he worked alongside some Haitian women who cooked the burgers on the grill.
The women spoke Creole and almost no English. My son knew a little Creole due to a past relationship and had a warm relationship with the women, even though he and they could not communicate much.
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The women called him “White Boy.” That sounds like a slur, and taken certain ways it could be. But when a phrase is used with love, it becomes more of an inside term of endearment.
JewBoy Sub Shop, an Austin icon, has a similar origin story.
Sub shop embraces two cultures
When you visit the the website for JewBoy SubShop, it's immediately over the top and you can see the intentionally hamfisted effort to merge two cultures.
“Hola! It’s time to get meshugganah. Welcome to the JewBoy Sub Shop. We are a sandwich shop in Austin, Texas, inspired by both Border and Reform Jewish Culture. Hope you’re hungry,” it says. (“Meshugganah” is transliterated Yiddish for “crazy.”)
The menu is decidedly not kosher, or even kosher-style, as it offers meat served with cheese, as well as pork products.
JewBoy Sub Shop's owner does explain the restaurant's name on its website.
“Mo Pittle, born in Cleveland with ties to Philadelphia and Washington, DC, was raised in El Paso, Texas. Not the first place you’d expect to find Jews, but they’re there. Growing up among the Homeboys, he became affectionately known as ‘El JewBoy,'” he wrote.
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The name stuck and he carried it over to his sub shop and two JewBoy Slider locations.
“A few decades later, it now describes the subs you’re about to consume,” he said. “A perfect mix of Border and Jewish culture. So open your mind, but more importantly, open your mouth, because if you know Jewish people, or you know Latinos, you know you’re about to feast,”
JewBoy Sub Shop is closing
Pittle recently posted the decision to close his questionably named sub shop.
“All roads eventually come to an end,” he posted on Facebook. “For our Sub Shop, their road will come to an end this Sunday, July 20th. Our lease is up and other opportunities call.
“We can’t express our gratitude enough to all our customers and employees who supported our journey these last 4 and a half years. Come in this week and for sure on Sunday when we’ll have food and drink specials until we sell it all.”
The two JewBoy Slider locations are unaffected by the shutdown of the sub shop. Pittle owns all three locations.
“Gone but not forgotten is the theme here, as many of our menu items, or versions of them, will make their way into our other locations,” he posted. “Stay tuned for our next journey starting next month. Details forthcoming. Peace, love and a slutty sandwich!”
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Fans of the eatery were devastated.
“Oy vey! By far my favorite sub shop in Austin,” Dan Bruce posted on Facebook. “Not just currently, but for the entirety of my 20+ years living here. I hope you eventually find a new location (preferably down south). Until then, at least we still have the burgers.”
Ben Glasthal shared similar emotions.
“That is a gut punch, I love the sub shop. If I wasn't down in far south Austin I'd be there a few times a week. I hope this doesn't end up being goodbye to subs forever,” he wrote.
